SpitFire
by Gleeful Melancholy
Summary: Pre DOA4. Our favorite Tai Chi Quan genius Leifang stumbles upon an underground tournament. It’s pretty sketchy…but believe it or not, this puts a real shift on her priorities. Two tournaments now, one goal…but what is it? This is Tag, but reworked. :P
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **A detail in this story deviates from the DOA canon world, but I just found it out recently, and I had a bunch of chapters done by then. But if you don't see it…don't worry about it. Thanks! =)

_Disclaimer: Thank TeamNinja, Tomonobu Itagaki, and Tecmo, please._

New Beginning

Leifang was confizzled.

Someone else's words, not hers…But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Leifang was confused.

Here she was, on a virtually deserted pathway off Main St. Tokyo, and she swore the storekeeper said to go left for the shortcut back to the hotel.

It was nighttime. It was chilly. And it was a dead end ahead of her.

But that wasn't the only reason she was baffled.

It was a new year, and a fresh start. She was at a good place in her life. Another semester of college was coming up, and she'd always been an ace student. She finally got her own apartment back home, and was so happy her parents were out of her hair. And she got to spend a summer abroad in Japan. But something was missing.

A piece of her identity, having everything to do with fighting, felt lacking.

Yes, there was a new DOA tournament as well. That was why she was in Japan in the first place: to try and prove herself, again, but most of all, to defeat one person. Jann Lee.

"Really?"

Leifang frowned. If she was at the point where she was talking to herself, she was more sleep-deprived than she realized.

She looked around her at the end of the street, but it was just brick walls and a chain fence. "I should've just taken a cab." She picked at her sandal strap, which had folded and was making her even more irritable, as she hopped to stay upright. Sighing, she turned around and headed toward the next alley over. This was _not_ a dead end.

Actually, it was so dark and narrow, it swallowed moonlight…and she could not tell if it ever ended…

* * *

_But if she didn't get home soon, her parents would wonder why she took so long, and she'd have to explain that she skipped the young socialite's gala for an extra fighting lesson._

_14-year old Leifang walked briskly down the alleyway shortcut to her district so preoccupied with her tardiness, that she almost walked into a heavyset gang leader._

"_Well look what we have here. What's the hurry, girlie?" he leered._

_She sighed, and turned around to find herself surrounded by seven…eight men._

_Leifang rolled her eyes, implying boredom to her assailants; but on the inside she was really excited, anxious for the thrill of battle. Outnumbered? No problems here for the top Tai Ji Quan student in this province of China._

_Crouching, she waved her arms around her in a gesture to confuse the enemy. "Try to make this interesting for me, ok?" she requested. The men laughed at her. Typical. But they wouldn't be laughing for long._

_The head thug lunged towards her. She tensed for impact, ready to counterattack, when suddenly the leader fell like a stone. A shrill battle cry pierced the evening as Leifang witnessed another fall at the hands of a gaunt young man._

_She gaped at his speed, marveled at his finesse as he used the least amount of effort to do the most damage on the much heavier grown men. One by one he took them all out. He couldn't be more than a few years older than herself!_

_After what seemed like ages, but was really a few brutal moments, she snapped out of it._

"_Hey mister!" She stomped up to him._

_He turned around, and her heart stopped. Her stomach flipped._

"_Yeah?" He looked mildly puzzled._

_Her look hardened and she pointed her finger in his face. "Just so you know, I had everything under control before you showed up!"_

_He raised an eyebrow. "I guess you're alright then."_

"_Of course I am, no thanks to you," she said, holding her head higher._

"_No offense, but your rich, spoiled self would have been destroyed if it wasn't for me," he said, massaging his shoulder._

_Her cheeks flushed. "Now wait just a rice-picking minute!" she said, affronted at his gall, and embarrassed at how obvious it was that she wasn't from this neighborhood. She, in her crisp linen skirt and pigtails stuck out like a sore thumb. "Who do you think you are?"_

"_A simple thank you would've sufficed," he said, walking away._

"_I would've," she said, from a few paces behind, "If you'd done me a favor! I can take care of myself just fine. It was none of your business, to—"_

"_You're welcome."_

"_I…you…"_

_He turned around and trotted off. She didn't follow him, and she didn't catch his name, but she did see the emblem emblazoned on his shirt._

"_I will defeat you, someday."_

* * *

Leifang decided to take her chances walking down the alley, hoping it would lead to the DOA hotel.

That evening in China was so long ago. At the risk of sounding clingy, she still hadn't lived up to her vow.

Jann Lee had taken out that gang, and she certainly had not cried for help, like her helpless snobby schoolmates would've. She definitely wasn't a brat, like he had stereotyped her to be.

But was it fair to blame him? Jann Lee didn't do anything wrong. Sure, he probably didn't rescue her because he cared about being a good citizen; it was more likely because he wanted to show off his strength, or something. But despite the skewed motive, the action had to count for something, right?

"Maybe I should reevaluate my reasons for competing," she muttered.

Leifang froze. She had heard a clicking noise in the darkness.

She held her breath, straining to hear more than the deafening silence. Then—

"Give me the purse, dollface." Blunt, cold metal was pressed into her back.

She clutched her bag…and something in her snapped. She spun around, knocking him in the face with the brass embellished purse. She high-kicked, sending the gun skittering in the darkness somewhere behind her, then shoved him in the chest with both closed fists.

Leifang could not see the offender, but she could hear him scattering. She panted, listening hard for any more threats. Her heart was beating furiously; another attack on her in an alley, and no chance for her to redeem herself—

"You coward! You little jerk! Come back here!" she screamed, frustrated.

"You keep yelling like that, and he will. And he'll bring friends too."

Leifang spun around, searching frantically. Her skin prickled.

The clouds parted a little, cutting across the inky black and blue shadows. A little further down the alley she saw a vagrant wearing tattered clothes. He had come out of a nook that was the small gap between two buildings.

"Excuse me?" she asked breathlessly.

"Not that I don't think you could handle it, judging by your moves back there," he said, smiling with strangely perfect teeth.

She knew she should be getting back, but her curiosity was getting the better of her. "Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter who I am. Now, you're not the type of person I would normally recruit for this kind of thing, but heck, we could use some diversity. It's more entertaining," he explained.

Her blood froze. "I'm not 'for sale,' if that's what you're looking for!" she said coldly, getting ready to protect herself again.

He laughed. When he came closer, she brought her hands up, and he said "Easy!" and produced a flyer.

"Think about it."

Do you want safety? Peace? Tranquility?

_Then this isn't the place for you_

**SPITFIRE FOURTH ANNUAL TEAM COMBAT TOURNAMENT**

Only the strong will survive.

_This isn't personal, it's just painful_

07/07 7

Her heart beat rapidly. "Wait. How do I—?" But when she looked up, she was alone.

Leifang ran down the rest of the alleyway, adrenaline pumping with…not fear, but excitement. _So this was what it was like to fight for your life. _Granted, the solo thief was nothing compared to the gang Jann Lee took out 6 years ago, but this competition could be her chance to settle something for herself.

She thankfully wound up on Third St., the upscale avenue Fame chose for his Tokyo hotel. The lights from his _Renomee_ were the brightest on the block.

Was she ready to face street fighters who had nothing to lose and hated people like her? It was a lot of pressure, to train for the underground, possibly illegal tag tournament all while keeping up with her DOA matches. But weren't college students some of the best multi-taskers in the world?

She would never know unless she tried. And she knew just the person she wanted to guide her along the ghetto way.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I only own the plot, thanks._

To Sunglasses' House We Go

"I'll bet you never expected to see me again."

He turned his head. "Hm?"

Leifang strolled up to him. "Don't you remember me? Because I certainly remember you. When I heard that Mister Dragon was going to be at DOA, I knew I had to come here too."

He narrowed his eyes as he recalled, "You were that girl in China. The one who doesn't like getting help."

"The one who doesn't _need_ help," she corrected. He smiled a bit, but checked himself.

"I don't know how you got here, but this is no place for you," he said quietly.

"Once I win, you'll eat those words. I'll be seeing you Jann Lee."

She stared at him.

Then her eyes flashed white, then she spread her wings, carrying in her claws what he was sure was a voodoo doll…of himself—

_HONK!_

Jann Lee jerked up and slipped off the couch.

He straightened his glasses and looked around him. The window was open, and apparently it was gridlock hour.

"It was just a nightmare." He picked up the book he dropped.

_HonkbEEEEP!_ He shut the window and rubbed his temples. Of all the times to get sick.

Jann Lee couldn't remember the last time he was sick. Now he was developing a migraine, and truth be told, he thought those were worse than broken ribs.

This was the only reason he allowed himself to read instead of working out that day. He felt extremely useless on days that he skipped training. "Look how that turned out," he muttered. He had fallen asleep and taken a trip down memory lane.

As harmless as Leifang was in the ring, she clearly made up for it in creative threats everywhere else. Although, as far as he knew, the last part of the dream was false. He blamed the hallucinations on the generic DayQuil he downed that morning.

_Bzzt! _He closed his eyes. Even the doorbell seemed much louder than usual.

Jann Lee strode to the door and pulled it open, and none other than Leifang looked up at him.

"_Damn it_," they both thought.

* * *

After she found her voice, she put on a smile. "Hi, Jann Lee!"

Of all the people he could've roomed with…it had to be him?

She hadn't intended on seeing Jann Lee so soon; spiked hair, sleek solid-colored clothing, dark eyes, and…_Stop right there_. She always thought he was unfairly attractive for all his arrogance, but she wasn't about to admit that.

"Nice glasses," she added, focusing on something ugly.

"Leifang." He sighed, took off the glasses and put them in his pocket. "You're late this year. You usually start bothering me for a fight before I even make it off the plane."

She opened her mouth to retort, then bit her lip. That may or may not have been true, _last_ year, but that was the past. She smiled.

"Don't flatter yourself, Jann Lee, I'm not here to see you." He raised his eyebrows in skepticism. "Is Zack around?" she asked.

"Yes." He didn't say more.

Leifang thought he seemed…more out of it than usual, even by his standards.

She blinked. "Um, could you please get him for me?"

He massaged the back of his neck. "No."

"And why not?" she demanded, hands on her hips.

He coughed. "I try to avoid the bathroom whenever I hear running water."

She opened her mouth to ask what that was supposed to mean, but he continued.

"You know, Zack's goatee specialist came by earlier, and I told him never to darken my doorway again," he rambled, spewing distant memories. "So he'll probably be back in a few hours…if you want Zack, why don't you guys come back together? After I leave."

Leifang burst out laughing, and Jann Lee frowned. "I'm sorry!" she said, catching her breath. "It's just…I've never heard you say anything so…stupid! Are you ok?" she said, as her laughter faded.

He narrowed his eyes. "I don't joke about stuff like this. Goodbye, Leifang."

"Wait—" He closed the door on her.

"Well, how rude!" she said, stamping her foot. "Some things don't change." She pounded on the door. "More like: I don't joke about freaking anything!" she vented, punctuating her sentence with bangs on the door.

* * *

Jann Lee was reclined on the couch, almost settled into his ancient fighting text. This was a change. That had to be the first time he saw Leifang without her even bringing up the topic of a fight with him.

He heard the pounding and yelling. "Just when I thought Leifang was starting to grow up. False alarm." The pounding continued. _Zack, you sad new victim, you don't know how persistent this girl is._

"Hey man, you gonna get that?" his roommate asked, sticking his head out of the bathroom.

"No. It's definitely not for me," he replied.

"Yo, what if it's my Halo 3? I'll get it," Zack said.

"Don't you _dare_ come into the living room without clothes again!" Jann Lee warned.

"Shoot, don't get your hopes up." Zack came out in a towel and slippers and opened the front door.

Leifang glanced at his attire and blushed, quickly looking at his face.

"Hi Zack! Long time no see! Your roommate told me you were busy."

"I ain't ever too busy for you, Miss Leifang," he said unabashedly. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Zack asked.

Behind him, Leifang heard a snort.

Zack shot Jann Lee a dirty look and guided her inside. "And come in. Let's stay over here, where we won't be eavesdropped on." They sat at the kitchen island.

"Thanks," she said, grinning. She lowered her voice, but spoke rushed and excited. "Well, I was coming home late the other day, and I passed through an alley. Then I got attacked at gunpoint, but I took care of it, he was a coward. Then some beggar came up to me with this!" And she showed him the flyer.

Zack grabbed it and skimmed it. "Leifang, do you know what this is?" he said, kind of panicky.

"Well, yeah…Spitfire is a local underground tag tournament. I was hoping you could be my…Zack, what are you doing!"

He had taken a lighter to the flyer. "Don't worry about it, I got it all up here," he said pointing at his head as the paper burned. He grinned.

"What was _that_ about?" she demanded.

He lowered his voice. "I've _heard _stuff about tourneys like this. If you get caught with paper evidence that this competition even existed, the event organizer mafia could take you out!"

Her jaw dropped a little. "Zack, I know this tournament is some kind of secret, but I think you're exaggerating."

"Girl, this shit is serious!" He was animated, but seemed more excited and less panicked now that the paper was destroyed.

"And so am I. I really, _really_ want to do it," she said enthusiastically. "Would you be my partner? Maybe you could prepare me for whatever is down there."

Zack pondered for a moment.

"Let me just ask you this…Is there money involved?"

"Yeah, I think there's a cash prize—"

"Is there honeys involved?"

"Well, I'm sure there would have to be _some_ women there, but I don't know what kind…"

He pondered a moment longer. Then he snapped his fingers.

"Say no more. Leifang Wang, are you ready to be street?"

She raised both eyebrows. "Zack, my family name isn't Wang—"

"Are you ready to eat street?" he asked, chomping an imaginary piece of asphalt.

"Excuse me?" Now Zack was starting to scare her.

"Are you ready to drink, breathe, and _live_ street?"

"Well…" What was she getting herself into?

"Say it!" He stood up.

"Yeah."

"_Mean_ it!" He pointed at her.

"Yes!"

"Ok then! Holla at me tomorrow!" he said, going to his room.

"Wait, Zack! The tournament's in less than two weeks! We have to get to work."

"What, you mean now?" he said, scratching his back.

"Of course! We have so much to cover! So many partner techniques to learn…there's going to be a lot of training involved…" Leifang was already scheming as she grabbed his wrist.

"Aight fine, just let me—"

"I don't think you understand," Leifang said, looking at him gravely. "This isn't about you and me, this is about the dignity and honor of anyone who has ever had a dream." Her eyes shone for a solid 5 seconds, and Zack was too freaked out to interrupt. "Ok, let's go," she said, pulling him out the door.

* * *

Zack scratched his head. He started having second thoughts about accepting her offer back at the first mention of work.

He also wasn't wearing any clothes, but that wasn't really a problem in his opinion.

On the other hand, he had a woman practically beg for him, and drag him away from his room naked. Come on now, how often did that happen?

"This might get interesting," he postulated.

**AN: (DOA 4 SPOILER) **Although this story is pre-DOA 4, it is revealed in Jann Lee's ending that he can play the frikken trumpet, so I went ahead and assumed that he likes to read on the weekends. When he's ill. It was a risky move, but come on people! The trumpet! Humor me.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: The characters and some settings aren't mine, please._

Unexpected Guests 'R Us

In Japan, on the DOA premises, in the hotel, in a suite, an irate competitor slammed the front door.

"I'm glad that's over with." _Knock knock knock_

Jann Lee's eyes darted to the door and he wanted to ignore it. It steadily got louder. Then the knocking became pounding. His eardrums were melting.

Finally he leaped off the couch and ripped the door open. "What is it?" he asked waspishly.

Tina barged past him into the living room. "Step aside, Jet. ZACK!" she roared. "There's going to be MURDER!" She picked up a pillow and ripped it apart.

Now most people would be terrified of Zack's rowdy guest, but Jann Lee was not impressed. He, of course, had no problems dealing with drunk/psychotic people, from his night job. Thankfully, she destroyed Zack's pillow and not his, so the damage was minimal; yet he knew the best way to get rid of riffraff was swiftly and straightforward.

"Get out of my room."

Tina turned on him. "So you're protecting him? Where's he hiding?" She didn't wait for his answer as she went into the bathroom, checked both bedrooms, and opened the dishwasher.

He sighed. _I want to be alone and rest. "_He's not here."

"Oh."

"He's out with Leifang," he added, though he cursed the hallucinogens that made him offer details a second later.

"OH?" said Tina, fired up again. "He's leaving me for one of my friends? Again?"

Jann Lee took a deep breath. This was what he got for trying to be helpful. "I didn't say he and Leifang were--"

Tina sensed what she thought was pain. Her expression softened.

In fact, he _was _in pain, but it was because of her voice, not emotional trauma.

"Aw, I get it. You're upset. First time a girl cheated on you, huh? Don't worry," she clapped him on the back. "I know what you're going through."

He would've taken a double-take if he wasn't so dizzy, and it didn't look so stupid. "Are you ill, Armstrong? Leifang is a feminist with an anti-damsel complex. You've got the wrong idea about--"

Tina cut him off again, as a brilliant plan came to her. "I know exactly how to get back at them!"

"I--" he started. "Ugh!"

Tina had tackled him to the loveseat. She was lying on top of Jann Lee, and pinned his arms back. "Get off me! Do you have any shame?"

She gave him a seductive/reassuring wink. "Don't worry about it. This won't hurt a bit." She forced her tongue into his mouth.

"!#$%" he choked.

The door burst open and two heads snapped towards it. There was someone in the doorway-

"Ah shit, man," Zack whined pointing at Tina. "I just came back for some pants man! I understand why you'd cheat on me, but why it gotta be with my roommate?"

Jann Lee stood up aggressively and Tina fell aggressively. "She is not doing _anything_ with me," he announced sharply.

"Mm-hm." Zack put his hands on his hips, pursed his lips, and swiveled his neck. "Lee, you know I'm cool with alcohol, smokes, women, and Yanni CD's in the crib, but I don't know if I can bunk with a liar. Especially one that's cheating with my girl!" he yelled in Tina's direction.

Tina put up her hand and mouthed "Talk to the hand."

Jann Lee narrowed his eyes. "If you don't believe me, do us all a favor and request a single room. Now. And take her with you."

She whipped her head towards him. "Excuse me?" Tina screeched.

"Uh uh, you ain't getting out of it that easy. If you weren't getting it on with Ti, then what was you doing?" Zack demanded in his earsplitting voice.

Jann Lee pinched his sinuses. Every noise was magnified so much that his head was about to explode. _Focus…Get yourself out of this mess. _"She was showing me her barbaric tactics that we'll be using to beat you in the underground tournament."

That statement hung.

"Really." Zack was not convinced.

"Really?" Tina asked.

"Really," he confirmed. But he couldn't believe the state he'd put himself into.

"Man, you ain't even gonna survive! That's so dangerous Leifang asked me to be her teammate."

"I can't say much for her judgment," Jann Lee retorted. "As for your concern, I livedon the streets, whereas you act like a stereotypical music video-watching fake."

"I don't care about haters. Me and Lei-Lei are gonna whoop you two."

Tina stood up. "What, so now you have pet names for her?"

"Stay out of this, woman!" Zack replied.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Tina yelled back.

"Is there _any_ way you can take this outside?" They completely ignored Jann Lee.

"I'm a pimp. I'm a straight pimp. I'm a cop-killer."

"You're straight?"

"Girl, do you even _hear_ the words coming out of your mouth?"

"Enough!" Jann Lee pointed at Tina. "You don't need to go home, but you sure as hell can't stay here. And you need to put some clothes on," he demanded at Zack. "How many times do I have to say that sentence in a day…"

_Cruel karma,_ he thought, _I knew that extra hamburger would come back to haunt me._

"Right," Zack said, grabbing some shorts. "I gotta go practice. With someone who _likes _my company. Later y'all!" He ran out to meet Leifang in the gym.

"Oh okay, just run away from me when I'm accusing you!" Tina yelled at his back.

She looked at Jann Lee, who turned back towards the couch. "If you're done maximizing my headache, there's nothing left for you here."

"Aw, what's wrong Jann?"

"I'll forget that you sexually harassed me if you never bring it up again. And don't call me Jann." He sat down. "Better yet, don't call me at all."

"Listen," Tina said lightly. "What happened in this room stays in this room. I actually thought trying to make them jealous was the best way to get back at them, but your idea's way better!"

Her eyes shined.

He coughed. "What?"

She punched him. "You know, stupid, the combat showdown! Now what's that all about? Tell me the details!"

"That? I wasn't serious about joining in their little side tournament. Not with you."

She was unfazed. "Beating them in any underground tournament would kill Zack's imaginary street cred," she said thoughtfully. "And I know Leifang hates losing. Back when we were friends, she always was a sore loser when I beat her at Candyland. Of course, that was before she went around stealing people's boy toys, so her cheating is just your problem now."

He stood up and said quickly, "Leifang isn't be cheating on me because we aren't-"

"Jann, stop being in denial," Tina cut in cheerfully, because he couldn't talk fast enough. "The first cheater is always the most painful, but maybe if you're lucky, I can help you get over that," she said, running her hands down her curves as she headed for the door.

"Unbelievable…" There were _so _many things wrong with everything Tina just said and did, but she was out of there with a wink before he could even begin.


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: This belongs to Itagaki, Team Ninja, and Tecmo, thanks._

**AN: **Thanks readers! I'm not really out to get reviews, but if I was, yours made up for whatever I've missed. Especially yours, anon o.o;, if you remember what you said to me. As a physics major with laughable creativity, I put much more stock in my technical skills than in my ability to create plots. So when you reverse criticized me, I giggled.

I'll watch out for monotonous fight scenes. Since this is a fighting game, I guess I [wrongly] assumed that people are looking for more fights. I thought I didn't have enough confrontation, or am I misunderstanding you…that my fight descriptions just suck? Either way, it works out, because I hate writing them.

I hate clichés. I'm a reader/critic first. But I can honestly say that the jealousy angle was the best I could come up with. I hope it works. I also think I've made Tina a complete moron, but I do like her. It's just that I'd do anything for humor. Thanks for the feedback! And if you anon. review, leave an email so I never have to post this much response again. :)

Surprise, Surprise

Jann Lee sat back down on the couch, head in his hands. "I think…I just got sicker."

What the hell did those two know? Americans. If he were ever to consider even _thinking_ about fighting in Spitfire, he'd not only survive, he'd blow them away. That is, if Tina didn't get in his way.

And _Tina_…what gave her the impression that he and Leifang were anything other than

What were they, exactly?

_Well, with her following me around and threatening to beat me up constantly, I guess you could label it a stalker/victim relationship_, he thought, laying back and closing his eyes.

___________

_He was at the city park again, where he just finished running and was now practicing his kicking techniques on a tree. The boy might be "The Dragon," but he was also an orphan on a budget. He didn't have many options, as far as training equipment went._

_15-year old Jann Lee circled the tree, jabbing at it lightly, spinning and kicking it, but held himself back so he didn't injure himself or the tree. He was getting stronger on his own, but he couldn't kid himself. He knew that he was just wasting potential. He felt he was capable of much more._

_The skin on the back of his neck prickled. He thought he heard an odd strangled laugh, and turned around to see some student gasp, then walk hurriedly past._

"_Some student," with pigtails floating behind in the breeze caused by their walking hurriedly past, sped up. His eyes flashed in disbelief. He trotted up to her._

_She froze for a second, caught. He recognized her at once…as the girl in the alley. He wondered suspiciously why she was there. After his casual good deed, and her unjustified anger, she actually was the last person he ever expected to see again, and close to the last he ever _wanted _to see again._

"_You!" he stated, gracefully. He knew there was no way she could explain her passing through as a coincidence. She seemed to realize this and reverted to an unconcerned stance. She tapped her foot and rested her hands on her mini-backpack straps._

"_Oh, fancy seeing you here," she said innocently._

"_Don't give me that," he started, impatient. "I know you saw me. You were just laughing at me, back there!" he accused._

"_It wasn't me laughing at you," she said, examining her nails. Her lie was so weak that he didn't bother mentioning that it was 6 am, and there was virtually no one else in the park yet. "Who in the world would find a teenage boy attacking a tree funny?"_

_He scowled. "How the hell did you find me?"_

"'_Find you?' You're full of yourself!" she exclaimed._

"_I don't have any ties to anyone in this city, and there really aren't a lot of ways to track me down…" he started suspiciously._

"_If you're suggesting that I followed you, you'd be completely wrong," she huffed. "Besides, why would I be looking for you?" she added airily._

"_Because you forgot to thank me?" he suggested._

"_You're so vain! I didn't come to thank you!"_

"_So you admit that you came looking for me," he said._

"_Since I succeeded, I guess that means your security measures aren't as good as you thought," she shot back, grinning. Her smile faded._

"_Why do you put barriers like that around you?" she added softly, genuine curiosity shining from her eyes._

_He stepped back, alarmed at the change. "What are you really doing here, Private School?" he asked abruptly._

_He saw her clench her jaw at the nickname, and he was satisfied. Prissy kids were really easy to throw off._

"_I've come to fight you, of course!"_

"_What?" Adrenaline spiked in his system, at the opportunity. But was this some kind of joke? She was a girl. And he didn't even know her!_

"_You heard me. And I'm Leifang, by the way," she said, extending her hand._

"…"

_It was an unnatural setup, possibly more so than a plot from a Bruce Lee movie; a damsel-in-distress's random appearance, to pick a fight with someone who had no connection to her, other than that he saved her? Who does that?_

_He checked her expression, and saw only sincerity there._

_He grasped her hand briefly. "Lee."_

_Her face brightened as she slowly smiled. He looked away._

_Against his better judgment, he asked, "Why do you want to fight me?"_

"_So you don't go and get the idea that I'm some weak, rich schoolgirl who's absolutely defenseless," she replied._

_Too late. But what did it even matter what he thought of her? They probably never would've seen each other again, if she didn't track him down…This was too bizarre, and she was making it entirely too personal._

"_I don't fight girls," he threw out there. Which was a valid reason to bow out, among other things._

"_What?" she shrilled. "When you fought my battle for me, back in the alley!" she started accusingly. "One of them was a woman. You fought her!"_

"_That's different. She was a thug." Jann Lee was startled though. He definitely didn't see any women that day._

"_Oh yeah? Well, I'm different too!" she said, waving her arms around her._

"_What are you doing?" He really thought she was putting up a charade, about being able to protect herself. She was freakishly energetic; he had no doubt that she could've talked her way out of harm just by annoying that gang into surrender; but he didn't see her as the combative type._

"_I'm not just a girl, I'm a fighter too!" she said, high kicking near his face, as if that proved something other than her flexibility or sense of humor. "Come on, let's go!"_

_He didn't flinch. "I said, I'm not fighting you."_

"_Pretend I'm just another street kid…a boy even!"_

_He glanced at her. Yeah, that was going to be easy._

_He must've looked indecisive to her, because she stepped back, eyed him. He felt exposed. He hated it. "I know you want to," she observed quietly. "I can see it in your expression," she announced. "Don't hold that back, just fight me," she demanded, stepping into his personal space._

_His adrenaline spiked once again, but he didn't give in._

"_Fight me!" she repeated angrily, punching him._

_He caught her by the wrists, carried her over his back and flipped her to the ground._

_Immediately he felt awakened. It felt good to be fighting again, but he didn't want to harm a girl. He was torn._

_But like a guilty pleasure, he wanted more._

_Leifang made his decision for him. She grinned victoriously for a moment, but that look changed to determination as she sprung up and struck him open-palmed, quickly going into two mid kicks._

_He simply parried the blows, punctuating each block with a quick jab at her midsection not really meant to hurt her, but to slow her down._

"_You should give up while you can still walk," he said, to distract her._

"_Sadly for you, I don't give up that easily." She went through a series of graceful palm strikes, but he blocked every single one. Even her more powerful hits, he was taking in stride. He could tell it was starting to get to her as her attacks became more frantic and reckless._

_But he didn't strike back. "Why don't you show me what you've got!" she yelled frustrated._

_Jann Lee's mouth twitched into a grin. He knew she wasn't at his level, but she was asking for it. He triple punched her following up with an elbow strike; but he did not know that Leifang's strength was her defense._

_She waited patiently, circling her arms, and caught his last hit, kneeing him in the stomach and flipping him over._

_Like too many things that morning, this took him by complete surprise. He landed awkwardly with one leg folded under him. She came to stomp on him before he got up. The girl was actually going to try to hit him while he was down! But he wouldn't let that happen. He deflected her attack by swiping at her ankle just as it was above him._

_Of course she tripped onto him, and was now draped over his torso just so. Her face was inches above his. Her hair grazed his cheeks. He just stared.  
Like an idiot.  
Adrenaline, or something like it…flooded his system. He was stunned._

_He remotely registered her gasp, face flushed, but ultimately she recovered before him, and made to strike his neck._

_That snapped him out of it. He tossed her off of him before she hit, and flipped back up. He immediately ended the fight with a combination he had been experimenting with._

_It was already dubbed by its few witnesses as the Dragon Cannon, a tribute to its effectiveness. He used repeated punches to her abdomen, followed by a powerful stunning punch to her back. Not at full force of course, but it was enough._

_Once again, the air was knocked from her lungs._

_He on the other hand, was sick with disappointment. It took Leifang a full minute to recover and stand up, and that was an eternity for him to wonder what the hell his problem was._

"_How did you do that?" she asked, once she gained control of her lungs again._

"_I practice every day," he said distractedly. "I am constantly training."_

"_I want you to show me," she demanded shamelessly._

_He ran his hand through his hair. "What?"_

"_Teach me how to knock people out like that!"_

"_No way," he said. "You couldn't possibly execute it!"_

_She pouted. "Fine. It doesn't matter because one day, I will fight you again. I will find you."_

_She left the threat hanging, and he was left standing there._

_That didn't even matter. He was too angry with himself to care. What had happened to him? He got sidetracked. This was his first intentional fight with a girl, and she had something over him…he hated it. He came so close to losing, and yet..._

_It was, as always, exhilarating to fight. He knew this was what he wanted to do with his life._

_As far as Leifang went…she was a distraction. All girls were. Hopefully, that was the last time she popped up in his life._

__________

How wrong he'd been then. But now, there actually _was_ the possibility that he didn't have to worry about Leifang taking his focus off of more serious fighters.

He slept well for the rest of the afternoon.


End file.
